EDIBLE NOTES

NEW LIFE FOR HISTORIC PEIRANO’S

Ventura’s Peirano’s Market and Delicatessen, situated on the historic Figueroa Street Plaza across from the San Buenaventura Mission, offers beautiful views and outdoor seating, with an emphasis on local goods and homemade food.

The new venture, which officially opened Oct. 15, 2019, is proving a popular gathering place with its Linda Jordan and Jim Rice show off a couple of the specialties available in the recently opened Peirano’s winning formula, according Market and Delicatessen in downtown Ventura. to owners Linda Jordan and Jim Rice, partners both professionally and personally.

According to Rice’s daughter Shanon Rice-Johnson, who serves as the menu until the fire, when he joined Jose Andrés’ World Central director of operations and events, the food offered differs from the Kitchen—the project took longer than originally anticipated. many craft beer establishments that dot the downtown Ventura area, Now, though, “Peirano’s is a place to congregate and enjoy our with its focus on unique tastes and specialty dishes. beautiful city,” Jordan says.

“We are going to introduce you to products you can’t get just The deli, situated behind the market, features a variety of sandanywhere, both in our market and on our menu. Our Calabrian chili wiches, salads, specialty crostini and charcuterie boards to start. butter is our signature spread on our Italian sandwich and makes it There is regular music on the patio, daily pasta dinner menu items unique from all others,” Rice-Johnson says. “All of our dressings and with vegetarian and gluten free options and family dinner specials on sauces are made right here, by our staff.” Fridays. Rice and Jordan say they also offer a full catering menu and

Rice explains that the market offers imported Italian, domestic local delivery and plan to add more musical events. Italian and local goods in keeping with the origins of the historic The market greets visitors coming in from Main Street with an building. Peirano’s opened in 1877 in the first commercial brick array of baked goods, imported and local olive oils, local Blue Ridge building in Ventura as a grocery and general store operated by Alex honey, specialty pasta, imported canned tomatoes and other goods, Gandolfo. In 1890, Gandolfo’s nephew Nick Peirano took over the dairy and local produce as available. store, which was operated by the family until the late 1980s. It then became a restaurant. But by 2016, the building adjacent to Mission Peirano’s Market and Delicatessen Park was empty. 204 E. Main St., Ventura,

Jordan and Rice, who have been a couple for more than six years, 805-628-9028; DeliVentura.com decided then to take on the challenge of creating a market and restau—Anne Kallas rant in one of their favorite spots.

While early reports about the project were greeted enthusiastically Anne Kallas is a prolific freelance writer focusing on Ventura County. A fan of by the community, the Thomas Fire put a damper on things. Between local, seasonal produce, she is the farmers’ market segment contributor for the personal losses, which took time to process, and the business loss of local chef Tim Kilcoyne—who had originally signed on to oversee LIVE 805 show on KVTA 1590AM. She lives in Ventura and is a former columnist, writer and copy editor for the Ventura County Star.

SWEET-O FOR KETO

Barbara Delgado of Ventura just wanted a sweet treat while following the widely popular Keto Diet. But everywhere she looked, she was disappointed. Nothing that was touted as a healthy sugar substitute tasted good. So, she decided to investigate the problem.

After an exhaustive process of tinkering and tasting, she came up with a winning formula, which she now grinds and tempers in her own kitchen and sells at Palermo’s Coffee, Gelato and Gifts in downtown Ventura.

“It just seemed like there weren’t very many options for chocolate without sugar. I looked into how to do it myself, and it’s a huge ordeal. So, I thought, ‘If I’m going to go through all of that trouble, I might as well sell it,’” Delgado says.

She took advantage of the 2012 California Homemade Food Act, which allows people to produce small batches of goods in the home and sell them. To be eligible, Delgado says she had to have her home kitchen inspected by Ventura County officials for cleanliness and safety.

The mother of two—Violet, 17, and Russell, 13—was a geologist by training and a partner with husband Miguel Delgado in his optometry business until it closed. She is also an enthusiastic cook.

“I just spent months of trial and error,” she says. “For sweetening, I turned to stevia, xylitol, erythritol. Those are all sugars that do very little to raise blood sugar. Those were the ones I preferred because they’re most natural. I spent time mixing them together to create the right ratios and the right flavor that tasted most like sugar.”

She buys raw cacao nibs, roasts them and “then I grind everything in a stone wheel grinder.” She says the name for her product doesn’t come from the process, but rather is the maiden name of her grandmother, Louise Stone Lund.

So far, the Stone Chocolates line includes chocolate peanut butter (both milk chocolate and dark), dark and milk chocolate-only bars, and milk chocolate with pistachios and dark chocolate with almonds.

Stone Chocolates 805-336-1322 stonechocolates@gmail.com.

—A.K.

Barbara Delgado makes sugar-free chocolate that actually tastes good.

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